New Mexico Acequia Association

>online casinoSenate Judiciary passed HB 40 (Limit Municipal Condemnation of Water Rights) yesterday evening unanimously and it now goes to the Senate floor where Senator Michael Sanchez will carry the bill.  If it passes the Senate tomorrow, it will go to Governor Richardson for his signature.

SB 486 (Remove Acequias from MRGCD Jurisdiction) passed the Senate Public Affairs Committee and is on the Senate floor calendar.

HB 2 is still in Senate Finance Committee and is expected to be acted upon very shortly.  Acequia education funds are still in the budget as is the ACDF base budget.  No word on the status of the farmer education/rural entrepreneurship funds.

The New Mexico Congressional Delegation announced the New Mexico package of the stimulus package.

http://bingaman.senate.gov/policy/stimulus_guide.cfm

New Mexico will get $1.1 billion on a formula basis in which funds will flow from federal agencies to state agencies and, overall, is estimated to create or save 22,000 jobs in New Mexico.  There may be a special session of the legislature to determine the allocation of funds that come directly to the state.  We will provide updates as they become available.

Senator Tom Udall introduced legislation requesting $28 million for energy and water projects including $1.9 million for acequia projects.  Click here for the full article from New Mexico Independent.

Congressman Ben R. Lujan introduced legislation for two Indian water rights settlements and irrigation projects for the northern Pueblos.  Click here for the full article from New Mexico Independent.

The state legislative session will end on March 21.  With less than two weeks left, it is getting to the wire for bills waiting for hearings.  Presently, this is the status of bills tracked by the NMAA:

The House passed a budget bill with cuts to state agencies between 5% and 15% depending on the program.  The acequia education program at DFA was cut 10% and the additional funds requested for the ACDF did not come through.  The budget bill is now in the Senate Finance Committee.

HB 40 (Bandy) Limit Municipal Condemnation of Water Rights.  This was amended in the House in negotiations between the bill proponents, the NMAA, and the NM Municipal League.  It passed the House and is scheduled for the Senate Conservation Committee.

HB 19 (Stewart) State Engineer Juristiction over Deep Aquifers.  This bill is awaiting its last hearing in Senate Judiciary Committee.

SB 486 (Ortiz y Pino) Remove Conservancy District Jurisdiction over Acequias.  This bill would remove acequias in the Middle Rio Grande from the jurisdiction of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.  It passed its second committee in the Senate and now heads to the full Senate for a vote.

SB 560 (McSorley) Farmer Protection act.  This bill would shift the liability for contationation from genetically engineered crops away from the farmer and to the seed manufacturer.  This was tabled in SCONC.

HJM 49 (Rodella) ONRW Designation.  This memorial would ask Governor Richardson to suspend the process to designate streams in New Mexico as Outstanding Natural Resource Waters.

>мебели пловдивNew Mexico State Legislature is in full swing.  The budget is the main topic of concern.  The most recent revenue projections have only worsened such that the state budget shortfall for the current fiscal year could be closer to $1 billion. 

The House passed HB 9 which contained over 90 capital projects to deauthorize as general fund appropriations and reauthorize as severance tax bonds.  It is now in the Senate for their approval or amendment.  HB 9 includes $500k for acequia water storage and another $2 million for dam projects statewide.  It also includes $10 million for the Indian Water Rights Settlements. 

Acequias around the state are wondering if their capital outlay projects will be deauthorized because of the budget crunch.  We don’t know at this point whether the deauthorizations will go beyond what was in HB 9.

In terms of legislation, there was broad support for HB 40 (Limitations on Muncipal Condemnation Powers) in House Health and Government Affairs including groups representing agriculture, such as NMAA, the NM Farm Bureau, and NM Food and Ag Policy Council, as well as environmental groups such as Conservation Voters New Mexico and the Wilderness Alliance.   The sponsor agreed to minor amendments proposed by a municipality and the bill passed unanimously.  It is now on its way to House Judiciary.

SB 17 (Remove jurisdiction from political subdivisions over oil and gas activities) was tabled in Senate Conservation.  A broad range of groups opposed the bill including NMAA, the NM Association of Counties, several individual counties, the Wildlife Federation, and many others. 

HB 108 (Remove some regulatory powers of oil conservation division) will be heard in House Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Friday, February 6 at 8:30am in Room 315.  The same groups that opposed SB 17, including NMAA, will oppose HB 108.

As far as budget requests, SB 95 and HB 307 have yet to have their hearings.  The budget bill will not be finalized by House Appropriations Committee until mid-February.  It is likely to have some substantial budget cuts to state agencies.